Trenchermen, Chicago

"Unusual and conceptual." "Witty and imaginative." "Equal parts geniality and trickery."

These are just of the few ways critics have attempted to describe Trenchermen, the lush, subterranean restaurant and bar housed in the basement of a century-old bathhouse in Wicker Park. In the kitchen, chef Pat Sheerin flirts with the unconventional, turning tradition on its head with startling dishes that include his signature pickle tots, as well as potato gnocchi in any number of iterations—the latest with pastrami pork belly in a sweet corn broth. It's dishes like these that have earned the praises of Bon Appetit and Food & Wine, both of which have name-checked Trenchermen as one of the best restaurants in America.

Upstairs, Downstairs

The restaurant's vibe differs vastly between the sunken bar and neighboring dining room. Through the front entrance, visitors step onto a painstakingly arranged tile floor, near little cubbies that house artifacts fit for an apothecary or the moss collection of a mad scientist. To the right, the more formal dining room is dramatically lit from above by a large stained-glass fixture, creating an old-school Victorian feel. Down a set of stairs, the large, oblong bar serves as the centerpiece of a more casual space for both dining and drinking.